Brudda's

Handsome pair, aren't they? (FYI - I, Amy, have decided to start my blogging in purple so that you'll know whether it's me or Michael writing.) 

More "Brudda" time

Isn't this picture CUTE? David is starting to smile at us more and I caught this cute one with his brother. He's trying hard to catch-up to his older brother's beef-i-ness, but he's still got a ways to go! 

And a big sister

When David came home from the hospital I was talking with Emma about how he reminded me of how she looked when she was a baby. She grew quite proud and said, "Oh good. Now we have a brother for a sister, and a brother for a sister." 

Father's Day at the Waterfall

Notice Spencer in his "fireman belt." (aka - his leash.) We always felt kind of inhumane having a child wear one of these . . . until we had Spencer. That very night we had two sets of parents (both of whom had boys Spencer's size) run up and ask where we got ours. :) 

The Baby gets chunkier!

Isn't he cute? 

David's George W. Bush impersonation

This picture was taken about a month ago, but it made me (Amy) laugh when I looked at it again today. 

Happy Father's Day!

 

Spence and Cath watch a show

Spencer loves to play with people's hair- esp now that his is cut short. Usually he plays with mommy's but here he is playing with Catherine's while they watched a show together. 

Cute little dancers

For this years dance recital Emma was a "Maisy Daisy" and Catherine was a street sweeper. Let us know if your interested in a brief digital recording of the dance itself and we'd be happy to give you the opportunity to whitness their dancing skills. 

Baby David gets bigger!

 

Emma and Spencer visit work

One day Amy woke up with a cracked tooth and had to get in to the dentist. There were no babysitters available and the only time was right when I have my weekly meeting with our "team." It was an odd week in that we were having it in my office. So Emma and Spencer spent the meeting under my desk coloring and playing. It actually worked.

Emma and Spencer's office

Near the end. . .

They got a bit anxious so they were allowed to come out and join us, but they were still quiet. Of course the rest of the people in the meeting were more interested in them than what I was saying.

Good kids

They made it through the whole hour meeting!

Playing at dad's work

After the meeting they played with my intern Noelle. She really likes them and has babysat. Her dad is Italian-American, she learned Italian and she worked at the Torino Olympics. We think Cath might look kind of like her when she grows up.

Spencer's newest friend

Spencer in particular likes Noelle -- he calls her "Wo - el" and talks about her cat, which he has never seen.

Spence and his donut

Spencer and his donut

Spencer and his donut

A new family tradition

In this series of postings I'll explain a new family tradition we've been trying since last fall. When I started working and traveling more I worried I wasn't spending enough time with the kids one on one. With the extra work came some extra money, so I thought I'd take each girl out for a meal from time to time. It has turned out to always be breakfast on a Saturday morning, so it has become known as "breakfast with Dad." The first time I took Catherine I made the mistake of telling Emma what was going on, so she was really upset. But after she had her first time, she has been fine. It is special to me how much they look forward to it and like it.

Usually I don't tell them the night before that we're going to do it, in case something comes up or the baby has a hard night or whatever, then I just do it the next week. But last month Emma was really good on Friday night and I told her that when she woke up I would take her to breakfast. At 6:55 the next morning I sensed someone in the room. It was Emma, standing about a foot away, fully dressed. (She usually sleeps til 8:30). The image of her standing there is one of my favorite memories, and it actually worked out great to go and come back before anyone else even woke up. Following are some photos of me and Emma's June breakfast (she's wearing a visor she made at preschool). 

Getting there is half the fun

For some reason one of the exciting components of the outing is getting to ride in "Dad's car." 

The restaurant

We've gone to Denny's, Einstein's Bagels and Carl's Jr. (fast food with an inside playground) in the past, but both girls usually pick Kneaders, a kind of bakery/cafe about 6 blocks away. Of course the bread is really good so I like it, but it feels a little snobby to me sometimes. Emma calls it "Meeters." 

Why Emma likes Kneaders

This trip she revealed why she always picks Kneaders -- "those little pieces of cupcakes they let you have." They have some samples of muffins by the cashier. I like 'em, too. If the service is ever slow, I just keep eating for as long as they make me stand there. 

Meal time

The girls always get the pancakes or the french toast. Sometimes I just eat some of theirs but this day I had a breakfast sandwich. Emma always chooses the table closest to the cashier. She usually sits in her chair for a few minutes, then comes over to my lap. When we first started doing this she rarely said a word. It reminded me of taking Tim and Matthew to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. She didn't even really want to answer questions, leaving me feeling a failure as a father. Amy assured me it was the time together that mattered, and lately Emma has started opening up. This day I asked her how her new summer school was going (two mornings a week with Cath at a neighbor's house). "Good. Yesterday we made crafts (goes on) but later John frew up on the swing so Miss Brenda had to put his craft stuff in a bag for Nickelle (his sister) to take home." Me: "He threw up during summer school?" Emma: "Yeah, he had potatoes and bacon for breakfast." She also said there is a treehouse or something in which they play family. "Catherine is the mom, John is the little brother, I'm the little sister, and Nickelle is the dog." 

The final step. . .

It has become part of the tradition for the breakfast-er to bring home some leftoevers to the other sister. 

Helping dad with his tools

Not really a good angle, but Spencer worked on the other side of the bike (and other bikes) with a socket wrench the whole time I was doing so. He just chattered about tools, never got in the way, never got bored. As long as he was copying me, he was happy. 

Mother of 4 kids under 8

Catherine snapped this without her mom knowing, and I'm posting it without Amy knowing :) She is a very good mom and would only do this when both boys were in bed and the girls were playing inside. 

David starting to smile

The newest picture of the newest Smart. 

A visit with Aunt Lynn

We drove with Lynn to the Sorenson's Sunday. Both girls talked to her the whole way there and back. She had to just nod and listen, except when they wanted to hear the minute detail about her trip to Disneyland. Once Catherine was telling a long story and wouldn't stop. Emma tried to get a word in, so Cath just sped up. Then Emma started yelling, "Catherine, my turn, CATHERINE!" but that didn't work, either, so then she just screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs. That worked, cuz everyone in the car stopped talking and started yelling at her to stop screaming. Then she got her turn.

Don't forget Spencer!

Spence kept trying to be in on the conversation that was going on in the back seat, and he wanted his picture taken, too.